Phantom Love
by AlixJay
Summary: Rachel's world takes a dramatic turn after Quinn is injured in a crash on her wedding day. While Quinn is recovering, Rachel is struggling to keep reality separate from her dreams. Will she be able to overcome her nightmares and face her reality? Or is there even a difference between them? Faberry, multi-chapter. Warnings: Graphic Content
1. Chapter 1

**x**

"Face it..." Santana sighed. "Quinn isn't coming."

"She said she'd be here." Rachel insisted. "I-I don't want to start without her."

Clutching her phone, Rachel continued to pace back and forth in front of her wedding party. Quinn only had 45 minutes to get there, so she texted the blonde. **HURRY!**

Worrying her lips, Rachel looked desperately at Kurt. He and Quinn were the only two from the Glee Club that didn't approve of the wedding. Seeing him gave Rachel hope that Quinn wouldn't go back on her word. Suddenly, the doors behind them flew open and Finn walked through, followed by their parents and his boys.

"Finn, get out!" Mercedes yelled. "You can't see her before-"

"I've already seen her." Finn interrupted.

"But that's bad luck..." Tina said quietly.

Finn ignored the girl and looked to Rachel. "We're ready. Let's go."

"I don't want to get married without Quinn." the brunette frowned, holding her phone tightly. "Please, can we wait just a couple more minutes?"

"It's now or never." the groom pushed.

Rachel looked at Finn briefly before turning around and checking her phone. No new texts. She decided to message Quinn again. **WHERE ARE YOU?**

Finn shoved his hands in his pockets and watched the clock. 35 minutes until they lose their spot.

"She responded!" Rachel screeched, biting her lip as she read the text. "She says she's on her way." she sighed, dropping the phone to her side. Rachel already knew Quinn was on her way, now she needed to know how long until she got there.

"30 minutes..." Puck whispered from behind Finn. The taller boy looked back to his best friend, frustrated. "Go talk to her." Puck offered. "You don't have much time left."

Finn nodded and approached Rachel slowly. Taking a deep breath, he reached out to her. "We need to get started. When she gets here, she can sneak in and stand next to Mercedes or something."

Rachel brought her eyes up to Finn's. "Are you sure?" she asked, to which Finn smiled and nodded. "Okay. Let's go."

"Really?" Finn said excitedly. "Alright! Let's do this!" he turned and exited the double doors with his boys close behind him. Hiram and LeRoy stayed back with their daughter.

"You don't have to do this right now." Hiram spoke plainly. "If you wait, you can make sure all your friends are here at the right time."

"I'm sure she's almost here." Rachel insisted. "Besides, Finn is right. We need to go now." she kissed her fathers on the cheek and led her bridesmaids toward the chapel. Hiram and LeRoy looked at each other briefly before following them.

"Okay," Rachel breathed slowly. "Mercedes and Sam, then Tina and Mike, then Brittany and Blaine, then Santana and Kurt and Puck, and me and my dads. Mercedes, leave enough room for Quinn when she- Brittany, where are your flowers?"

"I put them in water." the blonde replied simply. "They seemed thirsty."

"I'll go get them." Santana rolled her eyes. "I'll be right back."

Rachel worried her lips and looked at her dads. "How long?"

LeRoy checked his watch. "10 minutes until 5."

Wringing her hands together, Rachel watched down the hall for Santana. She shook her nerves and turned to Mercedes. "Go, but walk really slow. As long as we start before 5, we'll be alright."

Mercedes offered Rachel a smile and looped arms with Sam. They proceeded into the chapel as the music started. Once they nearly reached where Finn was standing, Tina and Mike began to walk out.

Brittany looked down the hall for Santana, but when she didn't see her, she turned to Rachel. "Can't I just take the ones from-"

"No, Brittany." Rachel said, seeing the blonde go for the ones in the aisle. "Puck, can you go see what's taking her so long?"

"Sure thing." he responded, jogging in the direction of the waiting room.

Rachel looked into the chapel and saw that Tina and Mike were already in their spots. When she was about to tell Brittany and Blaine to just start, Puck emerged from around the corner in a full out run. "Stop!" he yelled down the hall. "Stop!"

As Puck got closer, the expression he had made all the color from Rachel's face disappear.

"What's wrong?" Hiram asked.

"Speak, boy!" LeRoy shouted when Puck paused to catch his breath.

"It's Quinn." he exhaled. "She's been in an accident."

"What do you mean, accident?" Hiram rested his hand on the boys shoulder.

"When Santana went to get Britt's flowers, her phone was ringing..." Puck was visibly shaken. " Her mom got a call from Quinn's mom."

"Is Quinn alright?" LeRoy asked, concerned.

"I don't know." Puck looked down.

"Where's Santana?" Brittany glanced past Puck.

"I told her to go to the hospital and that I'd let you guys know and meet her there."

"I'm coming, too." Rachel spoke up, lifting her dress and starting toward the exit with Puck and Brittany.

"What about-" Blaine began, but they were already gone.

Hiram and LeRoy looked at each other for a moment. They wanted to stop the wedding, but not like this. Taking the others hand, they followed their daughter. Kurt's mouth dropped open. He couldn't believe what was happening. Blaine put his arm around his boyfriend and placed a kiss on his temple.

"We gotta tell Finn." Kurt mumbled into his hand before running it through his hair.

Walking slowly through the doors and into the chapel, Kurt made his way to the front where Finn was standing. Meanwhile, Blaine went to the organist to tell him to stop the music.

"What's going on?" Finn asked before Kurt reached him. "Where's Rachel?"

"She left." Kurt folded his hands.

"What do you mean she left?" Finn's voice raised.

"She's at the hospital. Quinn got into an accident." Kurt finally said.

"Is she alright?" Sam asked, joining the brothers.

"No one knows yet." Kurt replied, focusing back on Finn, who was clearly stunned. "They're all at the hospital now."

Finn turned to the justice of the peace and explained the situation while Kurt spoke with Carol. Blaine was already telling Mercedes and Tina the news.

"Should we go see her?" Tina said first as they all came together.

"We don't know if she's awake or not." Blaine replied.

"She could use our prayers." Mercedes offered.

"You all go home. Pray, do whatever you want to do, and I'll go to the hospital." Finn said. "I'll text you guys when I know what's up."

"You're not going alone." Carol insisted.

"I wont be alone. Rachel, Puck, Santana... They're all there, too." Finn kissed his mom before he left.

x

Finn checked his phone again to see what floor Puck said they were on. Rounding the corner, he saw Mrs. Fabray sitting between Brittany and Santana, both of them holding one of the older woman's hands. Rachel sat on the other side of Brittany with her face in her hands. Puck was standing toward her, his back facing Finn.

As the tall boy got closer, Brittany looked up at him and called out his name, causing Puck to turn around and Rachel to life her head.

"How's she doing?" Finn asked as he walked to Puck, giving him a hug.

"She's in surgery." Puck answered quietly. "We haven't heard anything else."

"How'd this happen?"

"Some ass in a truck blew a stop sign." he paused. "Direct hit on her drivers side."

Finn walked over to Rachel and knelt down. She was staring forward with one hand to her lips, the other across her stomach. Touching her head gently, Finn spoke. "I'm sure she'll be fine." he tried to assure his fiance. "She'll be fine." he said again, this time trying to assure himself.

x

Finn and Puck returned from the cafeteria with handfuls of drinks and snacks. Puck walked over to the girls, all except for Rachel, who were up stretching their legs. Looking over to his fiance, Finn's face saddened. Even though he didn't know why, he knew that Quinn meant a lot to Rachel and it pained him seeing her this upset.

"I got you a coffee." he offered. "And I didn't know if you were hungry, so I got you a bunch of different stuff just in case."

Rachel only took the coffee and sipped it lightly. She still hadn't spoken to him since he got there over three hours ago.

"Mrs. Fabray?" a man in blue scrubs looked past his clipboard and into the waiting room.

When Judy stood up, everyone else quickly followed her movements. She turned to them and smiled slightly, indicating she'd tell them what she heard when she got back, but that they needed to stay behind.

Quinn's mom wasn't gone longer than 10 minutes when she returned with silent tears rolling down her cheeks. Santana rushed to her side and whispered inaudibly.

Finn, Rachel, Puck, and Brittany gathered around to wait for the update. Judy cleared her throat. "The doctor said it will be a little longer until she's out of surgery."

"That's great news, then!" Finn's expression brightened as he looked to Rachel, but hers didn't change.

"She suffered extensive injuries, so they…" Judy swallowed hard. "They are putting her in a medically induced coma."

Brittany looked between everyone around her, not fully understanding what Mrs. Fabray meant. Santana noticed and explained simpler. "The doctors are going to let her sleep for a while."

The blonde started to cry hysterically.

"Britt, honey, it's okay…" Santana tried to sooth the girl.

"How can you say that?" Brittany responded even more upset. "The last time doctors let something I love sleep, Lady McMuffins never came back!"

"Oh no, Britt…" Santana held onto her blonde. "Quinn's coming back. It's not like that."

"Promise?" Brittany sniffled, giving Santana a pleading look.

"I promise." the darker girl reassured her, sticking her pinky out. Brittany sobbed softly as she linked hers with Santana's.

"When can we see her?" Rachel spoke suddenly, catching the others off guard.

"You guys can see her first thing in the morning." Judy said. "It's only immediate family until then."

Rachel nodded and went back to her seat.

"Call me if anything happens?" Puck said to Finn before he left.

"Sure thing, dude."

Brittany walked back to the chairs with Judy. Santana approached Finn. "You two can take off. We'll stay here with Judy."

"Yeah, okay." Finn agreed, nodding and turning toward Rachel. Kneeling in front of his fiance, Finn spoke. "Santana and Brittany are going to stay tonight. We can come back first thing tomorrow-"

"No." Rachel didn't let Finn finish. "I'm staying too."

"At least let me take you home to change." he offered.

"No." the brunette repeated coldly.

Finn accepted that he wasn't going to convince her. Instead, he stood up and kissed her on the forehead before turning and leaving.

x

Brittany had fallen asleep on Santana's lap and Rachel hadn't moved since Finn left. Mrs. Fabray looked down at the blonde and then up to Santana.

"Why don't you take her home?" Judy suggested.

Santana gently woke Brittany up and stood. "I'll be right back. While I'm out, I'm gonna run home and get a change of clothes. Do you want me to stop by your house?"

Judy shook her head. "No, I'm alright. Thank you."

"How about you?" Santana directed toward Rachel, but the brunette didn't respond.

Santana sighed as she put her arm around Brittany's waist and headed for the door, leaving Judy and Rachel alone.

After a moment of silence, Judy spoke. "Quinn will be glad to see you. She talks about you a lot, you know."

Rachel slowly brought her gaze from the floor up to the older woman. She didn't understand what Mrs. Fabray meant. How did Quinn talk about her? What had she said? Would she really be glad to see her after what had happened?

"She does?"

"And cheerleading, of course… But mostly about you and the Glee Club." Judy let a smile cross her face. "I can see why."

Rachel slowly got up and moved to sit next to Mrs. Fabray. Putting her hand on the woman's arm, Rachel's voice cracked. "I-I'm so sorry…"

Judy placed her hand on Rachel's and squeezed, almost as if to reassure Rachel that the accident wasn't her fault, but she accepted her apology regardless.

"Mrs. Fabray?" the same man in scrubs from before came around the corner. Judy and Rachel stood up. "She's in her room now. If you'd like, I can take you to her. However, I have to let you know…" he paused. "When you see her, she's going to be mostly bandaged. She's not going to look like your daughter right away."

Judy covered her mouth and her eyes got cloudy. "I'd like to see her." she finally decided.

Looking to Rachel, Judy touched the girls arm and spoke before leaving with the doctor. "Please, get something to eat. She's okay now."

x

Rachel looked up and saw Santana coming down the hall toward her with a duffle bag over her shoulder. The darker girl looked concerned.

"Where's Judy?" she asked, setting her bag down on the floor.

"Judy? Oh, right… She's with Quinn." Rachel replied softly. It was clear the brunette hadn't left the waiting room the whole time Santana was gone.

"I know you said you were fine, but I got you some clothes anyway." Santana sighed, gesturing to the bag. "You can't stay in that dress."

Rachel looked away and didn't move.

"Look, she doesn't know who is out here. She's asleep and will be until they wake her up. It could be days, or weeks, and you need to-"

"No." Rachel interrupted the darker girl.

"God damn it, Berry!" Santana brought her hand up to her forehead, clearly frustrated. Rachel looked up to her, eyes widened. "You're not the only one that is freaking out right now about possibly losing Quinn!" Santana paused for a moment, her anger turning into something Rachel hadn't seen the darker girl express before. "Brittany doesn't understand most of what is going on, so I have to keep a calm composure and be strong for her. I have to stay strong for Judy, too. She's like a second mother to me. Even though I look like I'm okay, I'm not. I'm not okay and I wont be until Quinn wakes up."

Santana was trembling in front of Rachel, and she didn't know what to do but sit and listen.

"So, I'll tell you what you're going to do. You're going to take these clothes, find a bathroom, get changed, and then we're going to get something to eat because we're not okay, but we have to be... For them."

Rachel continued to stare at Santana as she held out her duffle bag. Standing slowly, Rachel stepped up to Santana and froze for a moment, maintaining eye contact. Suddenly, Rachel threw her arms around the other girl. It only took a second for Santana to drop the bag and pull Rachel close to her. When she did, she cried for the first time. Rachel held Santana tighter and let silent tears roll down her cheeks.

They would never actually talk about this moment again, but that's what their friendship was, and Rachel was okay with that.

**x**

"Hi, girls." Mrs. Fabray said as she walked into the waiting room and saw Santana and Rachel sitting together. "You can see her now if you want."

They stood up at the same time and followed Judy down two halls, both of which had bright, flickering lights, until they reached Quinn's room.

"I'll let you have some time." she said before they entered. "I'm going to the cafe if you need me."

The girls nodded and opened the door. Quinn was laying still with tubes and wires coming in and out of her body, which was mostly covered with bandages except part of her face and right arm.

"Hey, Q…" Santana said softly as she approached the sleeping girl. "Not the hottest one in the room anymore, huh?"

Rachel glanced over to Santana and rolled her eyes. Of course she would say that, the vulnerable Santana from the night before was gone. The one standing before her was the strong outer shell that cracked jokes when she was nervous and laughed when she felt like crying. This was Santana's way of coping, but it wasn't Rachel's.

The shorter girl sat down next to Quinn and went to touch her arm, but couldn't. Part of her was afraid that even the smallest touch would hurt Quinn.

The door opened suddenly and a nurse came in. She smiled kindly at the girls and checked Quinn's tubes. Pulling open a drawer, the nurse grabbed a Chapstick and applied it to Quinn's lips.

Santana laughed to herself. "I bet Trouty Mouth could turn that into a profession."

Before the nurse left, Rachel stopped her. "Is she gonna make it?"

"I can't honestly say." the nurse's cheery expression faded. "We'll have to wait a few more days before-"

Rachel nodded slowly as she heard the nurse speak. It was no new information, and Rachel wanted answers.

"Thank you." she said quietly before turning around, not aware the nurse wasn't done talking. Rachel watched Santana sit next to Quinn on the bed and talk to her like nothing happened. Rachel couldn't do that.

x

"Hey." Finn said as he peeked into Quinn's room. "Mrs. Fabray said you were in here. How's she doing?"

"She's a vegetable, Finn." Rachel sneered. Was he an idiot? It was less than a day, and asking a question like that was stupid.

"Rachel, I know you're worried…" he began, fully inside the room now. "But I'm here for you. Please, don't shut me out."

Rachel didn't bother to look at him, let alone respond again to what he was saying.

"This is happening to all of us." he whispered softly. "Not just you, you know."

Rachel watched Finn leave. She didn't expect him to understand.

x

"Hey, dude." Puck walked down the hall to Finn, who was pacing just outside the waiting room.

"Hey." the tall boy responded.

"Hear anything new?"

"No."

"Have you seen her yet?"

"Yeah, for a little." Finn bowed his head. "She doesn't look good."

The boys stood in silence for a moment. Puck looked past Finn and saw Rachel curled up on one of the chairs. "Has she left yet?"

"I can't get her to…"

"She doesn't look like she's slept." Puck frowned.

"I don't think she has." Finn looked over to his fiance. "She wont talk to me."

"Have you talked to her dads? Maybe they can convince her…" Puck offered.

"Yeah, they're coming by later." Finn said, turning back to Puck. "But I'm gonna head home now."

After Finn left, Puck sat down beside Rachel. He didn't have anything to say that would help, so he just kept her company until Hiram and LeRoy arrived.

"Hey, sweetie." LeRoy placed a kiss on Rachel's forehead. Hiram went over to Judy to ask how Quinn was doing.

"We talked it over and if you're not ready to go to school tomorrow, that's fine." he said softly. "But you have to come home and sleep. I can bring you back in the morning on the way to work."

"I'm not leaving." Rachel spoke.

"Honey, that isn't really up for discussion."

"I'm an adult. I can stay if I want." Rachel argued.

"Rachel Barbra Berry." Hiram said as he walked up. "You need to sleep, and the faster we get you home, the sooner you can come back."

Rachel looked up at her fathers. She didn't mean to lash out at them. Not getting sleep made her miserable, not to mention the added stress and lack of coffee for a day.

"Fine." she finally agreed.

x

Moments after Rachel's head hit her pillow, she drifted off to sleep. Her surroundings were familiar. Cream colored walls and flickering ceiling lights. She walked down the long corridor until she reached a door. Putting her hand on the knob, she opened it.

The walls disappeared and were replaced with car doors. Looking down, she realized she was wearing her wedding dress again. Grabbing the seat in front of her, she looked at the woman driving.

"Quinn?" Rachel said quietly, but the blonde didn't respond. "Quinn!" she repeated louder than before, but still no response. Rachel stared at Quinn for a moment. She was wearing her pink bridesmaids dress. Was she-

Suddenly, Rachel heard a phone buzzing. Peering over the seat in front of her, she saw it was Quinn's. She saw Quinn glance down at it, but ignored the message.

Rachel scooted over to sit directly behind Quinn. She tried to see the blonde through the rear view mirror, but she couldn't.

Just then, Quinn's phone buzzed again. Rachel saw Quinn tap her hand on the steering wheel before moving it down to pick up the phone.

"No!" Rachel tried to stop her and to smack the phone away, but she couldn't.

Quinn began typing something and Rachel strained to read what was being said.

_**On my way**_

"Oh my god…" Rachel breathed heavily and brought her hand to her mouth. Quinn was texting _her._ Quinn continued to type on her phone, but Rachel couldn't make out what it said. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a truck coming down another road ahead.

"Quinn!" Rachel tried to yell. "Quinn, stop!"

Unable to take her eyes off of the fast approaching truck, Rachel braced herself and screamed.

"Are you alright?" Hiram called out as he entered Rachel's room and raced toward her bed.

"What happened?" LeRoy quickly followed.

Rachel sat forward, sweat dripping down her face and her heart pounding.

"Honey, call down…" Hiram soothed her. "It was just a dream."

"Quinn… She…" Rachel's voice faded away.

Hiram's expression sank as he looked up at LeRoy. They didn't know at the time that this was the first of many nightmares to come.

x

Turning the corner, Rachel noticed there wasn't anyone in the waiting room, at least no one she recognized. She walked past it and continued down the flickering hall to Quinn's room. Opening the door slowly, she started to panic.

The room was empty.

Stopping the next nurse she saw, Rachel blurted out a jumbled mess of words. "Why isn't she- Where did you-"

The nurse walked over to the room and check the clip board. "She's getting X-rays taken. If they started on time, she should be back in an hour or so."

Rachel forgot to thank the nurse as she went into Quinn's room and sat down. There wasn't any sense in going back to the waiting room to wait alone, so she decided to rest her eyes until Quinn got back.

Rachel stood still, looking blankly down the long corridor. The light above her flickered on and off. She had been here before. After walking for a while, she reached a door and slowly opened it. Everything around her disappeared. Looking down, she realized she was in her wedding dress again, too. Bringing her eyes back up, she saw she was in the courthouse.

"Santana?" Rachel furrowed her brow at the darker girl pacing back and forth. She held a bouquet in one hand and her phone in the other, mumbling something.

Approaching the girl, Rachel listened closely.

"Come on, Quinn." Santana muttered nervously. "Where are you?"

"Quinn…" Rachel breathed out. _Wait, are those Brittany's flowers?_ she thought to herself. Why wasn't Santana going back to Rachel if she had already found them? Why was she-

Suddenly, Santana's phone rang. "Please tell me you're here…"

"Quinn?" Rachel stepped closer. Did Santana talk to her before her accident? She couldn't hear what Quinn was saying, but Santana's expression sank and she collapsed on the couch.

"What?" Santana exhaled into the phone, dropping the flowers and bringing her hand to her mouth. "But she was just-"

Rachel watched intently as Santana's face fell completely into her hands. The shorter girl realized that Quinn wasn't the one on the other end.

She was watching _the_ phone call.

Rachel heard footsteps behind her and turned around to see Puck enter the room.

"Oh, good, you found them." he smiled until he realized something was wrong. Stopping in between Rachel and Santana, Puck knelt down. "What is it?"

Bringing her phone down from her ear, Santana paused before shooting up from the couch. "I need to go."

"San!" Puck stood, putting his hands on her shoulders. "What's wrong?"

Wiggling free from his grip, Santana gathered her things while she spoke. "My mom… She said… Quinn… She's…"

Puck's eyes followed the darker girl as she darted around the room. "I told her not to even come and now she's-"

"She's what?" Puck yelled, more worried and confused than before. Santana wasn't making any sense to him, but Rachel knew.

Santana froze and looked directly at Puck. "She was in an accident."

Puck stared blankly into the air for a moment until he saw Santana turning to leave. "Where are you going?" he called after her.

"The hospital."

"I'll meet you there!" he yelled as she left. Puck ran his hand over his head and thought for a moment before running down the hall from where he came.

Rachel turned on her heel and followed him until he disappeared around a corner. She continued to run after him, but everything was white again, and Puck was gone.

Jolting awake, Rachel saw that Quinn was back, and she wasn't alone.

"Rise and shine, Berry."

"Santana? When did you get here?" Rachel asked, rubbing her eyes and yawning.

"Not long ago." Santana replied. "Right after school."

Rachel now realized she had been asleep for over four hours.

"I take it you heard nothing new?"

"When I-I…" Rachel cleared her throat. "When I got here, she was getting X-rays done."

"Yeah, Judy said they'd be doing a lot of tests and stuff while she's recovering." Santana sighed, taking a seat on the other available chair.

"Is anyone else here?" Rachel asked curiously.

"Brittany came with me. Mercedes and Trouty Mouth met us here."

"Oh." Rachel mumbled. "Do they want to-"

"Already did." Santana interrupted. "Brittany didn't want to for long, though. She thinks Quinn looks like a mummy and they scare her, so Mercedes and Trouty took her to the waiting room while I'm in here." Santana shook her head. "By the way, you snore, and Britt says she heard you say Quinn's name."

Rachel swallowed hard. She didn't know she spoke when she was asleep.

"I hardly think this is the time or place for those dreams." Santana teased.

Rachel rolled her eyes and stood up, leaving the room. Walking past the waiting area, Brittany jumped up and approached Rachel.

"Hey!" she smiled. "You're awake!"

"Yeah…" Rachel nodded, wishing Quinn was, too.

"What were you dreaming about?"

"I don't remember." Rachel lied and kept walking, but Brittany followed her.

"About Quinn?"

"I said I don't-"

"I dream about her, too." Brittany said quietly. "She's awake in my dreams."

Rachel looked over to the other girl, who was staring straight ahead, and frowned. Quinn was only awake when they weren't, and that was their reality now.

x

LeRoy walked into the waiting room and toward Rachel. "Ready to go, honey?"

Rachel got up without saying anything and followed her dad to their car.

"Finn stopped by the house." the older man said. "He wanted to check on you."

"I'm fine." Rachel huffed. "He _should_ be checking on Quinn."

"I suppose he figured there would be a lot of people doing that and-"

"It doesn't matter." she interrupted. "I don't want to talk about it."

The rest of the car ride was silent, and Rachel didn't even speak over dinner. Walking up to her room, she collapsed on her bed and stared up at the ceiling. Slowly, the light started to flicker.

Standing up, Rachel started running this time, not walking. She threw her hands up and pushed through the door. The cream walls disappeared again and she didn't recognize the place she was now.

"Quinnie." she heard in another room. Following the voice, she saw it was Mrs. Fabray. "I thought you weren't going?"

"I have to." Rachel heard a soft, more familiar voice. She saw Quinn enter wearing her bridesmaid dress.

"Why are you doing this to yourself?" Mrs. Fabray's expression softened to resemble sympathy. Looking to the older woman, Rachel furrowed her eyebrows. _What is Quinn doing to herself?_ the brunette thought.

"Mom…" Quinn touched her forehead. "I told her I would."

Rachel's heart sank hearing those words. She reached out to touch Quinn, but stopped just short of the blonde.

"I just worry about you ever since…" Mrs. Fabray trailed off. Quinn walked up to her mom and hugged her briefly.

"I'm gonna be late." she said as she walked to the door and grabbed her jacket. Pulling her phone from the pocket, she started typing quick and then put it back. "I'll see you later." Quinn open the door.

"I love you." Mrs. Fabray sighed.

"Love you too, mom." Quinn smiled before leaving.

"Quinn!" Rachel yelled as she broke into a run after the blonde, but there was nothing on the other side of the door.

x

Back at the hospital, Rachel was the only one there again. She heard yesterday that Mrs. Fabray couldn't get off from work during the week. Mr. Fabray still hadn't been heard from since he ran off with that 20 something secretary, so Rachel doubted he knew about Quinn's accident.

Rachel quickly decided that she would be the one to keep Quinn company during the day, and afternoon, and until one of her fathers showed up to take her home. She was going to stay at the hospital for as long as she could.

Leaning toward Quinn's bed, Rachel reached her hand out to touch Quinn, but stopped just short of the blonde. Scared that the slightest touch would cause Quinn to crumble, Rachel retreated her hand and folded her arms on the bed in front of her. Slowly, her eyes became heavy.

Running her hands over her eyes, Rachel opened them to find herself back in the corridor. The light flickered faster than before and started to give Rachel a headache. Searching for the door, she finally found it and tried to pull it. She struggled for what seemed like several minutes before it flew open, sending her backward.

Rachel remained laying down for a moment until she felt something cold between her fingers. Sitting up slowly, she shaded her eyes and looked around. All she could see was a corn field and the grassy area she was sitting on. She got to her feet and breathed in the fresh air, except it wasn't what she expected. It wasn't fresh at all. Spinning on her heel, she broke into a run when she realized what she was smelling.

"Quinn!" Rachel screamed, racing up beside the wrecked beetle. When she got to the car, she cowered away quickly and covered her mouth. Rachel wasn't used to so much blood, especially knowing who it belonged to.

Looking everywhere but inside the car, Rachel spotted the driver stumble out onto the road. Furious, the brunette lunged at the man, but passed though him and hit the ground. She got up quickly, tears filling her eyes, and started back to the car.

Forcing herself to look, Rachel's first instinct was to see if Quinn was alive. Reaching her arm in, she stopped just short of the blonde. She couldn't do it. She couldn't touch Quinn.

Walking out of Quinn's room, Rachel passed Santana, who was talking to one of the nurses about something. Once she got to the waiting room, Rachel saw Brittany and sat down next to her.

"Hey, Rach." the blonde smiled.

"Hey Brittany."

"Were you sleeping?"

Rachel nodded slowly.

"San didn't wake you up, did she?"

"No."

"Good." Brittany sat back in her chair and interlaced her fingers on her stomach.

Rachel looked curiously at the other girl. "Yesterday… You said you dream about Quinn?"

Brittany nodded.

'What…" Rachel paused, but decided to ask anyway. "What are your dreams like?"

"We talk and stuff. Everything we can't do now." Brittany sighed. "What do you dream about?"

Rachel looked down. "Same." She lied. Her dreams weren't anywhere near pleasant like Brittany's, and the last one was the worst.

x

When Hiram and Rachel pulled into their driveway, they saw Finn sitting on the front steps.

"Why is he here?" Rachel asked before getting out of the car.

"He's your fiance, he's worried about you." her dad replied. "You should talk to him."

Sighing heavily, Rachel stopped in front of Finn as Hiram went inside.

"Hey." the tall boy said quietly. "Haven't seen you at school."

"I'm not ready to go back. Not without Quinn."

"Rach…" Finn frowned, reaching out to touch her. "She could be out for weeks."

"I don't care."

"What about your classes?"

"My teachers have emailed me my homework."

"You need to go back to-"

"I'm not like you, Finn!" Rachel yelled. "I can't pretend like this never happened! I don't know how _any_ of you can go back…"

"Because watching her sleep isn't going to make her better, Rachel."

Finn was right, but she didn't want to believe him. What if Quinn woke up and no one was there? This was his fault as much as it was hers. They decided to get married after Regionals, he was pushing Rachel to push Quinn, Rachel was texting Quinn to hurry up… Why was she the only one that felt guilty about the accident?

"You don't understand." Rachel shook her head and moved to go past Finn, but he grabbed her arm. She looked down at his hand and scowled. "Let me go."

"You need to stop this." Finn looked directly into Rachel's eyes. "It isn't healthy."

Pulling her arm from his hold, Rachel glared at him. "This is all your fault! You couldn't just let us wait to get married, you had to rush everything!"

"What?" Finn huffed. "_You_ wanted to get married after Regionals! It was _your_ idea!" he yelled back.

Rachel's mouth dropped open and her eyes began to fill with tears.

"I-I'm sorry-"

"You're right, I should have never wanted to marry you!"

"You don't mean that…" Finn took a step toward Rachel, but she backed away.

"I don't _ever_ want to see you again." Rachel pushed past the boy and ran into her house, slamming the door behind her.

x


	2. Chapter 2

**x**

Rachel opened her eyes and saw the ceiling lights flashing past. Her body was rattling like she was on a cart or a-

"We've got a pulse!" Rachel heard someone yell. Another person shinned a light in both of her eyes.

"She's unresponsive." he stated. "Get her prepped for surgery."

"What?" Rachel blurted as she sat up. She was flying down the hall surrounded by a dozen or so nurses and doctors. Looking behind her, she realized they weren't there for her, they were there for Quinn.

Rachel panicked when she saw that her and Quinn's lower bodies were almost merged, causing her to fall off the gurney. She watched helplessly as the surgeons started working on Quinn. Her eyes kept closing at the sight of blood, but for some reason, she could still see it.

Walking behind the curtain, Rachel looked down at Quinn. She wasn't the same beautiful girl she remembered. The entire left side of her face was mangled. Suddenly, the room echoed a loud beeping noise that caused the doctors to become frantic.

"Charge to 10." a man ordered. "Clear!" he called out, pressing the paddles around Quinn's heart.

Rachel felt a sharp pain in her chest, forcing a cry to escape from her lips as she bent over clutching her chest.

The beeping sound continued and the line on the monitor went flat.

"Charge again."

The doctor touched the paddles to Quinn's heart again.

"Clear!"

Rachel cried out as she felt another sharp pain pulse through her body. Everyone in the room grew silent and paused for a moment. The line on the monitor remained flat.

"Charge to 20."

"But doctor…"

"20." the man repeated, locking eyes with the shorter woman. The nurse obeyed, and the man called out once again. "Clear!"

Rachel screamed, throwing her hands to her chest as she collapsed to the floor.

"Rachel!" Hiram came running around his daughters bed.

"Honey, are you alright?" LeRoy fell to his knees and picked Rachel up from the floor. She was shaking and covered in sweat. "What happened?"

Breathing heavily, Rachel sat up in her fathers arms and brought her hand up to her chest. She could feel her heart pounding.

"_Another_ dream?" Hiram finally asked. Rachel nodded. "I'm sorry, sweetie…"

Pulling their daughter up from the floor, they put her back into bed. After she was calmed down, her fathers left her room and Rachel sunk into her sheets. Staring at the ceiling, she closed her eyes. She needed to go back. She needed to see that Quinn came back.

Rachel tried to shield herself as the lights above her flickered violently. She spotted feet down the corridor, which puzzled her. Of all the dreams she had like this, no one was ever in the _corridor_ with her. Bringing her hand away from her eyes, Rachel squinted to see who it was.

The person was covered in bandages, except for areas on their right side. They were holding themselves up by their portable IV. Strands of blonde hair became visible.

Rachel let out quiet gasp. "Quinn?"

The figure responded with a smile, a half smile. It _had_ to be Quinn.

Rachel started to walk toward the other girl, and the blonde did the same. As they got closer, Quinn's image started to fade. Stopping all together, Rachel focused on her disappearing friend.

Taking a step backward, nothing happened, so Rachel took two more. Quinn cocked her head and her smile faded, but her image was becoming clear again.

Suddenly, Quinn began walking forward.

"No…" Rachel breathed out when she saw Quinn disappearing again. The brunette started stepping backward faster, but Quinn picked up her pace, too.

"Stop, Quinn!" Rachel called out. "Please…"

Quinn stopped abruptly, causing Rachel to do the same. Then, she heard a familiar voice, but couldn't make out what was being said. Rachel saw part of Quinn's mouth move.

"Quinn, I can't hear you…"

Quinn started walking to Rachel again, and disappearing at the same time.

"No!" Rachel yelled, about to walk backward, but she heard Quinn's voice again and clearer than before.

"Rach…" Quinn said faintly, holding her hand out.

Rachel looked back at the blonde. They were only a few yards apart, even less with Quinn's arm extended.

"Rach…" Quinn repeated. "Take my hand."

Pausing for a moment, Rachel reached out but stopped just short of the blonde. "I-I can't."

Quinn slowly brought her hand down to her side. They were too close for her expression to be read, so Rachel took a few steps backward, hoping to see Quinn's face clearer. Just before she could, Quinn spoke.

"Why are you leaving me?"

"I'm not." Rachel choked. "I'm here." she smiled as she stopped backing away.

Quinn moved forward and after two steps, Rachel retreated one.

"Why are you leaving me?"

"I'm not." Rachel repeated.

"You're leaving me!" Quinn got louder. The corridor began to shake.

"Quinn, I'm still here!" Rachel cried out.

"Everyone always leaves me." Quinn spoke softly as the corridor stopped shaking. "Don't leave me alone, Rachel."

"I wont." the brunette started to hold her hand out, but stopped half way when she saw Quinn walking toward her again.

"Quinn! You have to stop!" Rachel warned, stepping back and trying to keep the same distance between them, but Quinn didn't slow down. "Quinn!" she tried to get her attention again.

Suddenly, Rachel's back hit a wall. She looked to both sides of her and realized she was at a dead end. Quinn didn't stop getting closer, fading more and more.

Quinn was almost fully gone when she stopped inches away from Rachel. Rachel couldn't see the blondes eyes, but she could feel them on her.

Rachel closed her eyes, remembering everything she could about Quinn. The way she looked before the accident, the smile that was reserved just for her… She even thought that if she breathed deep enough, she could actually smell the warm vanilla lotion Quinn frequently wore.

Rachel slowly opened her eyes. When she did, she threw her hands over her mouth. Standing in front of her was Quinn, but not the faded, bandaged Quinn. This Quinn was the most real and inches from her face.

Stunned, Rachel brought her hand up to Quinn's cheek, but retracted her hand just before touching her. Quinn's eyes glistened as she watched the brunette. A smile formed on her face. "Go ahead." she whispered in a husky voice. The blondes warm breath sent shivers down Rachel's spine.

Rachel's hand shook as she brought it back up and closed the gap between it and Quinn's cheek. The moment her finger tips grazed Quinn's face, Quinn screamed, causing Rachel to jump back.

Covering her face with her hand, Quinn narrowed her eyes onto Rachel. Tears formed in the blondes eyes as her bottom lip trembled. Lowing her hand from her face, Quinn looked down and saw it covered in blood.

Quinn's eyes grew wide as she brought her gaze back up to Rachel.

"I-I'm sor-" Rachel began to say, but she slapped her hands over her mouth quickly. The left side of Quinn's face was mangled.

Quinn opened her mouth to speak, but instead let out a muffled cough, causing blood to drip down her chin. Panicking, Quinn wrapped her fingers around her own throat, blood still pouring out of her mouth. Rachel sobbed helplessly as Quinn kept trying to speak, but was unable to form words. Instead, the blonde bent over and started heaving.

Rachel raised her shaking hand and instinctively put it toward Quinn's side to try to sooth her, but just before her skin touched the blondes, Quinn was flung across the corridor and into the wall.

"Quinn!" Rachel screamed, holding her hands out desperately to the other girl. Quinn kept holding her body in pain, blood continuously seeping from her mouth. Bringing her hands back to her chest, Rachel pressed up against the wall and as far away from Quinn as she could put herself.

"Rach…" Quinn gurgled, pleading with her eyes and holding out one of her hands. "Help me…"

Crying, Rachel shook her head. "I-I can't."

"Please…" Quinn used the wall as a support as she stood on her unstable legs.

Rachel moved into the corner farthest from Quinn. The blondes eyes saddened.

"I-I'm sorry, Quinn." Rachel sobbed as she looked at Quinn one last time before pivoting out of the corner and standing behind the blonde. Down the corridor, Rachel saw the door appear.

"Rach…" She could hear Quinn behind her. "Don't…"

Rachel didn't speak. Every time she went to touch Quinn, Rachel hurt her even more. She knew she couldn't help Quinn here, and that the door was the only way to end this for both of them.

Hurriedly, Rachel made her way toward the other end of the corridor. Behind her, she could hear Quinn's screams and pleas, causing Rachel to cry harder with each step. In a matter of seconds, she reached the door and pulled the handle. However, it didn't budge. She tried over and over to get the door open.

Rachel stopped and pounded frantically at the door, letting out cries of her own. Sliding her fists down the cold barrier in defeat, she suddenly realized it was quiet. Slowly, Rachel turned around.

There was nothing. The corridor was completely empty. Rachel wiped away at her eyes and looked again. Still nothing but cream colored walls and flickering lights. Glancing down at her hands, she saw there was no more blood.

Rachel turned back to the door and placed her hand on the knob again. This time, the door opened effortlessly. Bringing her gaze back up, Rachel jolted away from the door.

It was Quinn.

Not bandaged, faded Quinn.

This was bloody, mangled Quinn.

The blonde stood straight up in front of Rachel and looked directly into her eyes. "You said you'd never leave me." she said coldly.

Before Rachel could speak, Quinn brought her hands up to Rachel and lunged toward her.

"No!" Rachel screamed at the top of her lungs, throwing her covers off of her. Her clothes were damp with sweat again, more than usual, and her heart was pounding. Tears streamed down her face as her fathers came running into her room.

"Rach, sweetie…" LeRoy went to wrap his daughter in his arms, but Rachel moved away.

Taken back by Rachel's reaction, Hiram slowly lowered himself onto the other side of the girls bed. "Honey, it's okay… We're here."

Rachel curled her knees up to her chest tightly and stared forward.

Hiram looked over to LeRoy with a worried look on his face. They didn't know how they could help their daughter, especially since it seemed like the dreams were getting worse.

"Sweetie, it's almost morning anyway, you don't have to go back to sleep…" LeRoy thought he was helping. "In an hour or so I can take you to the hospital if you-"

"No!" Rachel whipped her head to LeRoy. "Don't take me there!"

"A-Are you sure?" Hiram asked softly. When Rachel returned her blank gaze forward, he knew her answer was the same.

x


End file.
